Jai Veeru, directed by Puneet Sira, is a rip off from a not too well known Hollywood flick called Bulletproof made in 1996. The film is cliche ridden and seems quite outdated in today's day and age of multiplex movies. There is a been there seen it all kind of quality about the movie, which does not augur well for its prospects at the box office.

The film's story centres around two friends, who turn into sworn enemies till they are forced to join arms against a common enemy. Veeru, played by Kunal Khemu, is a small time crook who deals in cars. He bumps into Jai (Fardeen Khan), who is a car mechanic and knows the tricks of breaking into a car. The two become very good friends in no time. What remains unknown is that Jai is an undercover cop. But destiny has other things stored for these two friends who turn into sworn enemies due to a misunderstanding, where each believes himself to be betrayed by the other. But they have a common enemy, who is out to decimate both of them. A dreaded gangster called Tejpal (Arbaaz Khan) is after their lives and forces them to run. In between, all this action, the two guys manage to find time to fall in love with the characters played by Dia Mirza and Anjana Sukhani.

The biggest problem with the film is not the fact that it is heavily inspired from a Hollywood one, but the fact that it has been so shoddily written. Incidentally, there is not even the remotest connection to Ramesh Sippy's classic, except for the names of the two protagonists. The screenplay is inconsistent, and hence one's interest level dips and rises accordingly. Also it often seems to stray from the main story. One feels that with the use of a certain amount of discretion, the film could have been redeemed.

The director's masterly touch is sorely missed in this movie. Puneet Sira hardly impresses with this movie. But what does redeem the movie is its music by Bappa Lahiri. He manages to incorporate some very catchy tunes into the movie. This young music composer has done a fairly good job in his first independent outing. Also acting as a plus for the movie are the fight and action sequences by Allan Amin. The cinematography is just about adequate.

Of the actors, Khemu again proves that he is a natural and deserves a better deal. Jai Veeru is his second release in as many weeks. Last week's, Dhoondte Reh Jaoge also saw him in top notch form with Paresh Rawal. Never a great actor in the best of times, Fardeen Khan is his usual self, hence no real surprises there. The two heroines, Dia and Anjana really do not have much to do besides looking good. They manage that part well enough. Of the supporting cast, Arbaaz fares decently, while veterans like Govind Namdeo and Rakesh Bedi sail through.

This is a film, which is has an extremely stale feel about it. There is nothing fresh that Jai Veeru has to offer besides a few twists and turns. It seems quite a waste of effort.